It’s been awhile.
I could give you a list of reasons why it’s been so long since my last post (I was out of town, there have been a lot of projects going on, etc. etc.), but the truth of it is this: the more weeks I miss, the harder it is to write a post. This is true with anything, which is why it’s so important to keep up a routine. Seriously, I have a hard time reopening games I haven’t played for a week or two. And that’s one of the easiest things to do.
So while this post serves as part apology and part explanation, what I would really like to do is ask you all a question: How do you write when you are absolutely swamped?
I’ve done it during NaNoWriMo. When there’s a deadline and a word count goal it’s easy to push forward and just get the darn thing done. And it also only lasts a month. So what do you do when your crazy life is eating up your writing resources, but you want to get your next book done?
To fill you in, I’m currently working three jobs for a total of five different companies, my own book writing and promoting not included. This, while in a lot of ways an exciting and fulfilling challenge, is exhausting. I feel like my brain is in gear from morning til night, and I have to sort of force shutdown in order to get any relaxation time. I try to force it, I do, because that’s the only way anything is ever going to get done. But my pace is abysmally slow, with a total word count from last week coming to less than 300 words.
So, friends, I am here to ask for your help. What are your strategies for forcing yourself to write? When life is so crazy that you only have a few moments here or there to snag to write, and your brain protests any extra activity? What do you do to motivate yourself to close down Facebook, open up your WIP, and start pounding words out? I’m in some serious need of refocusing, and I’d love to get some of your mojo.
It’s funny, because throughout all of this I’ve actually become fairly regular in working out. I’ve always wanted to be someone who could enjoy going for a jog, and I’ve finally gotten to the point where I am. It’s an excellent time to be using my body, listening to music, and being outdoors instead of behind a computer. Exercise is notorious for being a tough sell, so it’s funny that it’s what I’m having the easiest time accomplishing. Maybe it’s the weather, or maybe it’s that I’ve always known I was going to have to push myself to get it done, while with writing I love it so much it’s crazy to think about it becoming a chore.
Let me know in the comments what your techniques are for lassoing your brain into even just a ten or twenty minute writing session. I need all the help I can get. Although, after talking about exercise, I’m starting to suspect that Nike’s gotten it right all along:
Just do it.
— Amy
Photo Credit: Matt Biddulph